


Run For Your Life

by CasperTheSarcasticGhost



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-08-04
Packaged: 2017-12-22 09:56:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/911861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasperTheSarcasticGhost/pseuds/CasperTheSarcasticGhost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During her time in SHU Piper comes to the conclusion, whilst reminiscing about her time with Alex, that can't live without her. Alex/Piper.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Run For Your Life

**Author's Note:**

> Orange Is The New Black does not in any way belong to me, nor do I profit from it. Its rights and profits belong to its creator and the talented writers who present us the show.
> 
> I had no real intention of returning to writing, but this show stole my heart. This is a one-shot about Piper while she is in SHU after attacking Doggett and her drifts back to her time with Alex before jail. One-Shot.

SHU 

The walls seemed to advance on me and I took to pacing to convince myself that, though the space was small, it was not shrinking. 6 steps by 5 steps. Every time my foot hit the ground it was like a drum beat in my mind: left, right, left, right, Alex, Larry, Alex, Larry.

Larry had left me, Larry didn't understand. That much was clear from the article he had written for the New York Times. Larry was safe and cosy; he knew when to order Chinese food.

Alex… Alex was a risk, she was unpredictable and she could be cold. Yet despite that, she had never left me, not once. That was all on me, I had left hertwice. She had taken me with her, across the world, to cross off countless items on the bucket list of any idealistic college graduate. She understood, maybe that was the problem… our problem. I couldn't commit myself to her, or her way of life and she… she kept coming back.

I hadn't known it when I was younger, but she was as drawn to me as I was to her.

Flashback

I shuffled my feet anxiously and drummed my fingers against the table as I resisted the urge to glance at the door again. It felt unreal; I had only met this woman once, she had accosted me at a bar. Yet here I sat, heart pounding as I waited for the enigma that was Alex.

As a testament to her cockiness she had sent a dozen roses to the apartment I shared with my friend Poppy. The card attached bore nothing but a time, a location and the outline of full lips in dark cherry lipstick.

"Hey," A husky voice chuckled, breath puffing against my ear. I repressed a shiver; of course I had missed her entrance.

"Hi," I responded, turning around in my seat, unprepared for her to have maintained her vicinity.

"Cat got your tongue, Pipes?" She smirked, her sweet breath washing over my face. She must have held it, waiting for me to turn around.

"N-no," I stuttered, turning back around to hide the blush dominating my face.

"Oh, your blush is adorable," She teased, wasting no time in taking the seat opposite me so she could enjoy the reaction she had triggered.

"So um, thank you for the flowers."

"I figured you would be the classic romantic kind," She mused, her eyes twinkling in such a way that I wasn't sure whether or not I was being ridiculed.

"Most girls are," I shrugged, though I couldn't imagine her squealing in delight at receiving roses. She was truly gorgeous so I had no doubt she would have gotten many.

"Have you ordered?" She asked, reaching out across the table to take my hands, running a thumb over my knuckles. As if to compensate for the innocent gesture of affection she ran the toe of her shoe up my leg. I drew in a deep, shuddering breath in an attempt to steady my beating heart.

"No," I shook my head.

She gestured the waitress over with a confident wave, ordering a soy latte for both of us before I had a chance to object.

"Thank you," I smiled, vaguely surprised she had pinned my choice of beverage so effectively.

"No problem, kid," She winked lazily, fixing her glasses coyly.

Personally I had never found the sexy librarian concept appealing, but on her it took all my will power not groan at the seemingly innocent gesture.

"So, Alex, I really don't know that much about you," I murmured.

I didn't know what she did for a living, all she had supplied me was the jesting suggestion that she worked for a drug cartel. I knew her name; I knew she was highly intelligent, I knew her voice caused my heart to beat faster and that her touch made me shudder.

"Earth to Piper," Alex chuckled, "Were you even listening?"

"I um."

"It's hardly surprising you don't know much about me if you daydream," She smirked, "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing," I insisted.

"Oh, really?" She leant across the narrow table and I found myself leaning in as I gazed into her eyes.

"Really."

"See, I think you were thinking about me," She grinned, tilting her head ever so slightly so that if I just moved leaned in an inch closer I could…

"Thinking about all the things we could," She then released the single sexiest groan I had ever heard, "Eat."

"What?" I blinked, leaning back at the unexpected word.

"You were thinking about how I'm going to take you to dinner, right?"

"Yes, of course," I nodded furiously to cover my lapse.

"Liar," She winked, pulling me forward to seal my lips with her own. It was hot and sweet and oh so practiced. She pulled back slowly, grinning like the Cheshire cat that had succeeded in corrupting Alice.

It wasn't until I got home that I realised the lipstick mark on my lips clearly betrayed my actions of the day.

SHU

The room didn't get any larger as the days blurred together, nor did my thoughts find a new track. I had fucked up, I realised that now. It didn't matter which person I was thinking of, I had fucked them both. Larry, kind and consistent Larry, I had ruined him the day we met, because he wasn't Alex. I could never give him my entire heart, part of it had always belonged to Alex, even if I hadn't realised that until I saw her again.

Alex and I had the opportunity to be perfect, but I couldn't free fall like her. Maybe that was her fault, because of her work, maybe it was mine because I couldn't support her or convince her to leave that career. Together we had something, we were inevitable, like yin and yang. I had been the weak one; I had run away. I had left her when her fucking mother died.

"Alex," I collapsed onto my bed and hung my head. Larry slipped from my mind entirely and Alex filled my thoughts. Her smile, her laugh, her scent, her fingers as they –

Flashback

I stretched lazily, feeling the sun gently tanning my back.

"God," I yelped as a cold, wet body suddenly lowered itself onto my back.

"I told you that you should have come swimming," Alex teased, the water dripping down my neck as she leaned in, a hot tongue collecting the droplets from my skin.

"I wanted to tan," I argued, turning over as she rolled off me.

"Pipes, I need to go to Europe," She murmured, resting her head against my collarbone.

"What?" I blinked, instinctively wrapping my arms around her shoulders, our usual roles reversed.

"It's going to be a busy few months," She apologised.

"Months?" I pulled away, already feeling abandoned.

"I'm asking you to come with me Pipes," She chuckled, pressed her lips to mine.

"Alex," I hesitated, "Bali was one thing, it was a few weeks."

"Come on, Pipes. I'd miss you, far too much," She murmured, manoeuvring herself to straddle my waist.

"Alex," I ran my hands up her thighs before she pinned them above my head.

"Say you'll come with me," She husked in my ear, her lips fixing to my jugular.

"Alex..."

"You won't have to do anything," She promised, a tongue running over the shell of my ear, "Just keep me company, like Bali."

"I – fine, yes," I agreed, restraining a moan as she continued her ministrations.

"Yes?" She beamed.

"Yes."

"I love you," She breathed, her eyes widening as if surprised by the confession.

"I love you too," I beamed, pulling her down onto me as I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

Alex was content to rest, her head nestled beneath my chin and for a moment she reminded me of a child. I imagine she would be afraid to tell someone she loved them in case they left. As her breath warmed my skin and her unique scent filled my nose I couldn't imagine why I would ever leave.

SHU

They kept me in there for weeks and in that time all I thought of was Alex. Every second we had spent together, talking, touching, just laying in the comfort of the other's company.

I swore to myself, in the confines of that room, that I would never make the same mistake again; I would never leave her. Yet I was afraid that she wouldn't give me a third chance, hell I wouldn't have given me a second chance after the way I had abandoned her.

When they released me I felt like running to her, so I could fall on my knees and beg forgiveness. I restrained myself though, for fear of being thrown back into the SHU, even for such a small offense. I had spent the last few years running away from Alex Vause, but now I understood I had been running towards her. Life was just taking me the long way round so that this time we would both be ready.

I ignored the crows of the other inmates as I did the prison equivalent of the walk of shame. I returned the greetings of my friend with a weak smile but still I continued, even as fear entered my veins. How many times would she reject me before we could heal? Would she ever take me back?

I arrived at her cube to find she and Nichols sitting together, chatting merrily. It formed a bitter taste in my mouth, but I knew I had to let it go. I had hurt her, more than you should ever hurt an enemy, let alone some one you love. I could hardly expect her not to hurt me in return.

"Piper," Alex blinked when she saw me. The eyes behind those thick black glasses were as alluring as ever, except now it was worse, because they weren't mine to enjoy.

"Hey," I murmured weakly.

"So they let you out, huh? Do you have extra time?"

"They let me plead for self defence," I murmured, "I got an extra year for assault because of the extent of the damage."  
"We haven't heard anything, is Doggett ok?" Nichols asked.

"Yes, she was still in hospital last I heard though," I repressed a shudder. I still couldn't believe that I was capable of doing that much damage to somebody.

"Hey, Nichols, could you – "

"Yeah yeah, I know," She chuckled with a shake of her head, effectively cutting Alex off, "Unstoppable force and an unmoveable object. I know when I gotta split."

Nichols leaned in as she passed so she could whisper in my ear without Alex hearing, "Don't do it again, Chapman."

"I promise."

I sat on the far end of Alex's bed, staring at my hands as I prepared myself for my speech.

"Don't," She snapped before I could begin.

"Alex – "

"Don't."

"No, this time you're going to let me apologise, because even if you hate me I owe you an apology and you deserve to hear one," I argued fiercely.

"I think you spent too much time in SHU," She chuckled. The laugh that left my lips was a short bark and seemed harsh and alien to my ears.

"Any time is too long in SHU," I sighed, "Now, listen. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you when you needed me, I'm sorry I couldn't support you in either your choice of career or to leave it, I'm sorry I chose Larry. He was safe and consistent."

"And I'm what? Dangerous?" She snapped.

"Yes, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. You're a free fall, Alex, but you're consistent too."

"What have I ever done that is consistent?" Alex snorted.

"You've always been there for me," I breathed, "Always Alex. I'm the asshole who left, twice."

"I'm not going to forgive you, Piper."

"I know, I spent three weeks thinking this through, I know you Alex. I always knew you wouldn't just forgive me, nor should you." I sighed.

"Do you remember what you said, about inevitability?"

"I don't think I could forget."

"Running away was easy, not knowing where to go next is the hard part," She mused.

"What are you saying, Alex?"

"I still miss you," She whispered, placing her hands over mine.

"Alex," I smiled, not expecting any sort of positive reaction.

"And I miss what you do with your tongue when –"

"Alex," I shoved her playfully. In many ways Alex never changed, any time she allowed a moment of vulnerability she had to cover it over with a sexual innuendo.

"You're still not forgiven."

"I know."

"So... did you think of me while you were in SHU?" She smirked, cocking a brow in a gesture that I had always found incredibly sexy.

"No," I responded, even as the memory of the last time she had asked me a question like that flickered through me mind.

"Liar."

Fin


End file.
